Sooho had stayed back at school, and as I made my way to the bus stop, I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by how packed the bus was today. I managed to find a two-seater at the back and slumped into it, hoping for some peace.
Just as I was settling in, a voice interrupted my thoughts. "Um, hey, do you mind if I sit next to you?" a boy from another school asked, standing by my seat. I was about to nod and let him when, suddenly, someone else slid into the seat beside me.
I turned, only to find none other than Si-eun sitting next to me. Of all people.
For a split second, I wondered why, but then I glanced around. All the single seats were taken. Of course, Eunji, why else would he sit with you?
He was quiet and, well, very smart. It wasn't surprising when his dad offered to have Si-eun help me with math, which my dad gladly accepted. I wasn't bad at it, just... weak. To be honest, I thought they were joking at first, but after my recent test results, it was confirmed-Si-eun would be teaching me math.
Si-eun stood there, expression as neutral as ever, giving me a small nod in acknowledgment. "Come in," he said simply, stepping aside to let me pass. His house was quiet, like you'd expect. Nothing like my place, where the TV was always on or something was making noise in the background.
I followed him into the living room,yo his dining table where books and notebooks already out. He was serious about this. I mean, I knew he was smart, but seeing everything so neatly arranged made my stomach flip.
"You can sit there," Si-eun pointed to the chair opposite his.
"Right," I said, more to myself than to him, as I awkwardly settled down. He sat across from me, opening a notebook filled with what looked like pages and pages of neat equations.
"So... what do you need help with?" he asked.
"Uh... where do I even start?" I muttered, pulling out my latest test with a string of red marks on it. I handed it over to him, and he glanced at it before looking back at me.
"Okay, we'll start from here," he said, as if my test wasn't a complete disaster.
And just like that, Si-eun got to work explaining concepts I thought I would never understand. His voice was steady, patient even, which was a shock. I mean, Si-eun was always quiet in class, but I guess I never paid attention to just how easy it was to listen to him.
"Got it?" he asked after solving a problem.
I blinked, realizing I'd been staring. "Oh, yeah, totally!" I lied, because who in their right mind would admit they were completely lost when he was so focused?
He raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "Let's go over it again."
We were 1 hour into the study session. Slighlty distracted my eyes drifted to a mark on his neck. From all the boxing sessions with Sooho, I could easily recognize a strangulation mark when I saw one. It was faint but noticeable, especially now that his hoodie had shifted slightly, exposing the bruise.
Without thinking, I blurted out, "What happened to your neck?" My eyes were fixed on the mark as I pointed at it, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He immediately reached for his neck, quickly pulling his hoodie back up to cover the mark. His lips parted like he was about to explain, but before he could say anything, the doorbell rang, cutting him off. He glanced at the door, then back at me.
"Who is it?" he asked, standing by the door.
"Delivery," came the response from the other side.
He glanced over at me, and I quickly shook my head, mouthing a firm "no." With a sigh, he turned back to the door.
"I didn't order anything," he said, sounding uncertain.
"This is the correct apartment," the delivery man insisted.
I watched as Sieun hesitated for a second before walking up to the door and cautiously opening it.
"What the heck. Bookworm, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice said, making my heart sink.
"I didn't order anything," Sieun replied coldly, clearly annoyed.
"Isn't this Dongbaek apartment 102, unit 902?" Sooho asked, looking confused.
Oh no. I recognized the voice immediately. I peeked over and, of course, it was Sooho. Why was Sooho here, of all places?
"This is building 101," Sieun replied, stoic as ever, not even blinking.
Sooho's face flushed in embarrassment as he realized his mistake. "Oh... right." He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, then lifted his head and noticed me standing there.
"Ohhh, Jia! What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes widening with curiosity.
Great, just what I needed. I sighed, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Uh... math tutoring," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
"Can you give me some water? C'mon, we're classmates," Sooho said, casually making his way inside and plopping down on the floor like it was his own home.Sieun shot me a questioning look, and I just gave an awkward smile, trying to shrug it off. "Woahhh, you failed math, didn't you?" Sooho teased, grinning like he'd figured out my deepest secret."Noooo~" I protested, walking up to him. "My scores just weren't that great, that's all.""Sure," Sooho smirked, not buying it for a second. "Ya, are you seriously going to let your classmate dehydrate to death?" he said, turning to Sieun, dramatically clutching his throat like he hadn't had water in days.Sieun sighed, clearly not amused by Sooho's antics, but he stood up and walked towards the kitchen."See? He cares about me," Sooho declared triumphantly, leaning back on his hands like he'd won some kind of battle.I rolled my eyes and nudged him with my foot. "You just barged in here like you own the place.""Hey, you're the one getting private math lessons," Sooho shot back, raising an eyebrow. "I'd say I'm helping you two bond."Before I could retort, Sieun returned, handing Sooho a glass of water. "Here. Now leave," he said flatly.Sooho took a sip, grinning. "Ah, refreshing! Alright, alright, I'm going," he said, standing up. "But Jia, don't fail again or I'll have to drop by more often." He winked at me before heading to the door.I groaned, watching him leave. "He's such a pain."Sieun just shrugged, his usual stoic expression unchanged. "He's loud."
I glanced at the time, realizing how late it had gotten. "Oh no, I should head out," I said, walking over to pack my things. "Really, Sieun, thank you so much." He gave a small nod in response.
As I gathered my stuff, I paused, turning back to him. Reaching out, I placed my hand on his arm. "No, seriously. I know how important studying is to you, and I feel like I'm just adding to your plate. I really appreciate this."
Sieun seemed caught off guard, his mouth slightly parted, unsure of what to say. "Uh... you're welcome," he finally muttered, avoiding eye contact.
The walk was silent, and it was barely a minute before we reached my apartment. I turned to him to say goodbye. "Um, good night, and thank you again."Good night," he replied. As I turned to walk away with a smile, he called out, "Eunji-ah." I stopped in my tracks, surprised to hear him say my name. I turned back to him, and he continued, "And you're not a burden, so don't say that."His words caught me off guard, and I couldn't help but smile brightly. I waved at him and headed inside, feeling a flurry of butterflies in my stomach and a storm of emotions in my heart.
Opening the door to my house i was back into the cold and lonely place. SIghing I switched the tv on before walking over to my room to finish my day.
